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The Academy Awards will begin streaming exclusively on the global video platform in 2029, representing the latest substantial change in the film industry.

The organization behind the Oscars made the announcement on Wednesday, confirming that it signed a extended contract giving YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars up to 2033.

The awards show, scheduled for 15 March, has been broadcast for a half a century on ABC. Beginning in 2029, the show will be available as a free live stream on YouTube.

It's another significant restructuring in Hollywood, which is dealing with studio sales and mergers, along with severe production cuts.

"The Academy is an international organization, and this alliance will permit us to broaden reach to the activities of the Academy to the most extensive international crowd attainable - which will be beneficial for our film artists and the movie industry," stated the Academy's executives in a statement.

Throughout a long period, ratings of the awards show have fallen, although there was a slight uptick in 2025, with a considerable amount of younger viewers streaming from cell phones and laptops.

In a related comment, YouTube's CEO called the Oscars "a key fundamental cultural touchstones" and noted that teaming up with the Academy would "motivate a new generation of creativity and movie fans while staying true to the Oscars' celebrated legacy".

ABC, which has streamed the ceremony since the mid-1970s, commented that it was looking forward "to the next three telecasts" it will retain rights for.

The move coincides with film industry giants confront intricate takeover attempts. Such proposals were seen as unfavourable for an sector that has seen significant downsizing over the recent period.

Like big production houses, cable networks have faced issues as the viewers has increasingly opted for digital platforms as an alternative.

YouTube winning the license to the Oscars clearly signals that dependence on streaming sites will continue increasing.